Hand in Glove - COMPLETED -
A Stick Shift Lips Rockstar Romance, Book One -
Go on, get hooked...
Ashton Wright is the quintessential artist with a tortured past. Singer-songwriter and frontman for a struggling Chicago indie band, the Stick Shift Li...
As they arrived at Joe's, the music vibrated throughout. Deafening guitars and blood-curdling vocals engulfed Chloe's ears as she squeezed her way through the crowd to a standing room only section of the dark bar. Jill and her friends looked awestruck. "I guess these are the Stick Shift Lips?" Chloe asked, yelling into Jill's ear.
Not quite impressed yet, she wondered how she was going to make it through the next few hours. Jill, on the other hand, grinned wildly and started bopping away, oblivious to Chloe's sarcastic tone.
Trying to make the most of the situation, Chloe turned to watch the band. They were obviously into their instruments. All of them, drummer, bass player, lead guitarist, all dedicatedly absorbed into their individual task of bringing about their collective sound into this crazy loud symphony, the singer topping off the experience with his excruciatingly beautiful voice. Grudgingly, she had to admit they were impressive.
Even still, Chloe refused to get sucked into the frenzy she witnessed all around her, the gyrating girls and fist pumping jocks. Did they even hear the music? This crowd probably would have been just as enthusiastic about any other band since the alcohol appeared to be free flowing that evening. Never mind them. She'd been just like them a couple of years ago. Somewhat embarrassed for the unsophisticated crowd and her earlier self, she shook it off and concentrated on the band instead. The loud ear-splitting song finally came to an abrupt and welcome end. The crowd roared.
Then, of course, came the mandatory intro. This time, it was the bassist's turn. "Hey, everyone, we are the Stick Shift Lips." The audience went wild. "I'm Nick Arrow on bass, Jamie Gale on drums, Chris Arrow on the guitar and last but not least, our very own Ashton Wright on vocals." Another ear-curdling response ripped from the fans. Of course, they were all handsome and perfectly disheveled. Not in that macho way and not in an overtly perfectly packaged manner, but fine specimen of young rockstars, they were. Chloe couldn't help but appreciate their presence.
Nick and Chris were both tall with shoulder length dark hair. They were obviously brothers, both equally handsome. Nick smiled more, jumped around a lot on stage, flirting with the girls while Chris seemed to concentrate more on his guitar. Jamie, the drummer, had a wild and wavy sandy blond mane that matched his unhinged stage persona. Finally, with her eyes resting on Ashton, she noticed his shoulder-length platinum hair, his flawless fair skin. He was the tallest of the three, painfully thin for his height. His eyes met the audience with such fierceness that if not for the crowd and context of the situation, would frighten her.
Chloe felt goosebumps on her arms as he proceeded to attack the stage, challenging the audience as the next song emerged from his throat. He reminded her of a mad conductor with the way he moved his arms, possessing the audience. He was hypnotic and sexy to a fault. He was quite possibly the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. As much as she wanted to dislike his stage presence, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
Chloe jumped when she felt an elbow in her ribs. Caught off guard, she blushed at Jill's mocking grin. They both giggled and Chloe felt the blood rush to her face. She'd obviously been caught gawking.
Eventually, that song ended and after a brief welcome pause, a quieter softer sound emerged.
Ah, yes, the mandatory ballad. First came the gentle guitar and then... the voice like nothing she'd heard before. Like satin, it filled the room, timidly at first then deep and painfully beautiful. The lyrics were raw and intimately unafraid. The singer clasped the microphone in both hands and stood perfectly still as the lyrics rolled off his tongue.
Ashton's eyes strayed around the stage and slowly searched the audience for a trace of empathy. He surveyed the crowd hoping for some acknowledgment of the hours of agonizing soul-searching that went into each word of this song. They weren't listening, not really. Sure, he was glad they were there, even if mindless noise was all that they were after. With fierce determination, he delved further into his soul, needing to feel that connection he once felt, but lost so long ago.
Chloe stood up on the tips of her toes to get a better look at him, but the tall throngs of people in front of her kept closing in. It was frustrating. Just another reason why she'd rather stay home. What was a short girl to do?
As luck would have it, though, there came a gap and then another as she took tentative steps through the forest of people, his sultry voice drawing her closer.
Finally, she was right up front. Wow, she could literally reach out and touch him. Inwardly, she laughed at herself. Somehow it had become a challenge to get as close to him as possible. Usually in these situations, she'd be content to watch from the back of the club but tonight was different. He was different. At that moment, all others disappeared and only the ethereal singer and she remained. She heard every beautiful word, the sadness in his voice permeating her soul. It was a song of love unfulfilled. The kind of love lost to impatience and neglect. It was heavy with disappointment and loss. His eyes searched the room as if looking for that lost love. His long slender fingers tenderly held the microphone. He was ever so still. Slowly, his blue eyes came to rest on hers. For a moment, they lingered there. She felt his gaze meet hers and her breath caught in her throat.
At that very moment, Chloe felt the single tear welling up in her eye, threatening to roll down her cheek. She tried to catch it but it was too late. There it was, and then another. Embarrassed, she quickly brushed the tears away in an attempt to regain her composure. She looked downward, hoping no one had noticed her emotional reaction. Slowly, she looked around. All clear but as she looked back at the singer, she realized Ashton had not looked away. He continued watching her from behind the microphone just a second longer and then slowly turned away.
Had he noticed her tears? Chloe felt embarrassed at her over-the-top emotional response to the song. Quickly, she turned and made her way back toward Jill. "Hey, I think I'm going to head back home now."
Jill wasn't surprised. "Not your scene, is it?"
"No, I guess not. I'll see you back at the house," Chloe said as she bolted for the door. She didn't dare look back, in case she be compelled to stay. She didn't see Ashton follow her out with his eyes as he finished his song, inwardly hoping that she would have stayed.
Chloe arrived back at the dorm and went straight to her room. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, the whole time thinking about him and how his lyrics had touched her so deeply. He had seemed so genuinely sad and lonely. But how could that be possible in such a crowded space, or was he just a great performer, or better yet, had she simply lost it?
An overwhelming sense of restlessness came over her as she rested in bed thinking about her life. Suddenly this wasn't enough anymore. She would love nothing more than to get out of the college dorm nanny gig. But how and where would she start? She wished she could make a living from her art but that took years of starving it seemed. Chloe loved food too much to go that way. As these thoughts swirled around in her mind, she drifted off to sleep. She dreamed of Ashton that night and his beautiful face.
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To be continued...
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